As far as role models go, Joan Caloiaro could hardly have a better one, considering her chosen pursuit.

Caloiaro, a junior volleyball player at Cal, is a first cousin of none other than Kerri Walsh Jennings, three-time Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball with partner Misty May-Treanor.

Need some advice on the finer points of the game or just someone to talk to who's been there, done that? Call cousin Kerri.

"She's amazing," said Caloiaro, a setter for the Bears, who face USC on Friday night and UCLA on Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion. "She's one of my role models, with everything she's accomplished in her life. She had two kids between Olympics and bounced back really fast."

It will soon be three children for Walsh Jennings, who was in the early stages of pregnancy at the London Olympics this year as she and May-Treanor sand-blasted their way to their third gold medal.

"It was awesome," said Caloiaro, who was watching from home. "I was so excited for her, yet nervous at the same time. We watched it live streaming on the Internet. I had to watch it live."

Coming from an athletic family, Caloiaro could hardly avoid picking up sports, any sport, as she was growing up. Her mother, Maureen (sister of Margie Walsh, Kerri's mother), played basketball at Pepperdine. Caloiaro's brothers both played sports at USF, Angelo in basketball and Vinny in soccer.

USF is where Saratoga native Caloiaro started college play as well after graduating from Mitty High School in San Jose. She spent her first two years on the Hilltop before deciding to transfer to Berkeley for a taste of big-time women's college volleyball.

"I wanted to play for an elite program in a really tough conference," Caloiaro said. "It's close to home, so it's a win-win situation. I was happy at USF. It's a small school, so it's totally different from here. I'm having the college experience here."

A little serendipity was at work in Caloiaro's transfer from USF, as it happened. Cal's setter from a year ago, Elly Barrett, graduated in three years and, to the surprise of coach Rich Feller, decided not to play her senior year. So Feller was a fellow in search of a setter.

"That's when the door opened," Feller said. "We really needed to find a setter. I think she's done amazingly well to come in and be the new kid on the block, with transitioning from another school to come in to a team that's pretty close. What she's done on the court goes a long way toward earning respect. She loves to play the game. You can tell that every time she's on the court. It rubs off on people."

Walsh Jennings, for one, is happy her younger cousin is stepping up to the highest level of women's college volleyball. Though a Stanford alum, Walsh Jennings is now a Cal fan as long as the opponent is not the Cardinal.

"I'm excited to go watch her," Walsh Jennings said. "I'm really happy she's playing in the Pac-12. Even though I'm a Stanford Cardinal, I very much respect the Cal program. I saw her play at USF. I really like the way she leads the team. It's pretty effortless. Joanie is a worker. She always has been. She's a worker with a smile on her face. I'm really proud of Joanie."

With a 9-7 record and 3-3 in the Pac-12 heading into this weekend's home games against USC and UCLA, the Bears are showing the effects of playing in the nation's best volleyball conference.

"We're a lot different than a lot of years," Feller said. "We're really banged up with injuries. It's limited our team. We've struggled in a few matches. I think this is a team that will truly improve as the season goes on."

As a setter, a position with some similarities to quarterback in football and point guard in basketball, Caloiaro does her best to put her teammates in position to be successful. She is seventh in the Pac-12 with 9.47 assists per game.

"In my experience, a setter needs to be a bit of a sponge," Feller said. "They absorb their teammates' mistakes, so it alleviates the stress on them. Joan's got a great jump-spin serve that puts a lot of heat on a team, and she plays all-out on defense."

With a 14-year age difference between the cousins, Caloiaro, 20, was not close to Walsh Jennings, now 34, growing up. However, she's best friends with one of Walsh Jennings' younger sisters, K.C., who is 25.

"I was still in college when she was a little girl," Walsh Jennings said of Caloiaro. "My little sister K.C. is very close to her. They're best friends. Through that relationship I've gotten to know Joanie as a young adult. I remember Joanie when she was born. To be able to witness her journey is fun. It's great to see her become the person she is."

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